Unseen
by Marzos
Summary: Stumbling into Arendelle one day on a whim led Jack to being invested in the life of a single girl with powers like his-all he wished was that she could see him. Oneshot, enjoy!


Jack would look back on her often and wonder whether the Man in the Moon brought him to her as a punishment or a reward.

It was all so random; there was nothing specific that pulled him to the kingdom in which she lived, nothing particularly special about it. He just came across it one day traveling the world. He'd seen many like it; and while at first they intrigued him, and he would stay for hours exploring them, now they all looked the same to him. He thought briefly about staying anyway, maybe lobbing a few snowballs at the kids, but he decided against it. It was a hot summer day, after all, and if he did that the people would panic and think the world was ending or something.

The thing that made him think the Man in the Moon had something to do with it was that fact that he had _noticed_. He was flying at full speed, and normally everything would be a blur; something as insignificant as a single window of a castle shouldn't have registered. But that day, for some reason, he had noticed.

On that blistering hot summer day, there was a window of the castle that was covered with _ice_. Ice that he was positive he didn't put there. Curiosity getting the better of him, he flew toward it and peeked inside—and stared straight into the face of a young girl.

Her eyes were shut tight, every muscle in her body seeming to be tensed. Frost crept along her fingertips, across the windowpane. She couldn't have been older than ten…

Jack's eyes widened in amazement; for one crazy moment he thought, maybe she was like _him_. She had white hair, like him. She had ice powers, like him. Had she been turned into a spirit as well?

Furiously, he tapped on the glass. The girl's eyes snapped opened, crystal blue and filled with fear.

"Hey, I'm Jack," he said, smiling and giving a wave. She did not answer, instead turning around.

"Mama, Papa!" the girl cried, "It's getting worse! Look what I did to the window…" Jack stared at her sadly. She couldn't see him either; and she had a family. She wasn't a spirit like he was.

He turned from the window, flying away.

But even if he didn't admit it to himself, he knew that he wasn't staying away forever.

The second time was a few months later; the window was slightly open, and when Jack opened it more to slip inside he knew it would be blamed on the wind. The girl was sitting on her bed now, crying next to a woman who he guessed was her mother. Water dripped onto his nose and he realized with a jolt that icicles were hanging from the ceiling.

"I'm a freak," the girl moaned into her dress. "I don't belong here. I don't belong anywhere! Mama, I want to _die_."

"No, honey," the woman said pleadingly, tentatively reaching a hand out to stroke her daughter's back, "You're different; but you still have time to learn how to control it."

"But I've had this since I was born, and it's only getting worse—"

"Every child has trouble handling themselves at this age. You just have more to handle than most." She risked putting a hand to her forehead to smooth out her platinum bangs; while the child seemed to flinch, she was too exhausted to push her away. "Now why don't you just go to bed and try to relax, alright? We can clean all of this up in the morning. Papa is going to find thicker gloves for you. Ones that will work better."

The child sniffed. "Mama…can you tell me a story first?"

"About what, dear?"

"Anything," Elsa answered.

"Well…have I ever told you about Jack Frost?" she asked.

Jack gave a sharp intake of breath.

"Who's that?" the girl asked.

"He's a good spirit," the mother continued, "Who, every winter, makes it snow. And even though adults don't appreciate him, children love him."

"Why?" the girl asked, blinking her eyes sleepily.

"Because he makes it snow so that the children can play." She answered, "He could hurt people because of it, but he chooses not to. It doesn't matter what you're given, Elsa—it only matters what you do with it."

_ Elsa._

Elsa at this point lay down on the bed. Her mother stroked her hair softly.

"Mama?" she asked with a yawn, "Do you think he's real?"

"I…don't know, Elsa." Her mother finally said after a moment. The girl frowned. She was smart; she knew that 'I don't know' meant that she didn't want to tell her the truth. There was no Jack Frost…at least, she thought there wasn't. Finally, she closed her eyes. The woman laid a kiss on her pale forehead before quietly exiting.

Jack couldn't help it—he floated over so he looked down at the girl's sleeping form. He felt awkward watching her sleep, even if she couldn't see him, but he couldn't help but say something to her before he left.

"I _am_ real," he whispered. "Hang in there kid."

The third time was many years later. He was shocked by how much different she looked when he saw her—he hadn't realized he'd been gone so long. How long were a few years to an immortal being, after all?

Jack had walked among the crowds of people, trying to figure out what had happened since his absence. What he heard wasn't good, not at all. From the subdued murmurs of the people, it was obvious something bad had happened, and soon Jack learned why; the king and queen, Elsa's parents, both perished in a storm. The princesses (_princesses_? It never occurred to Jack that there might be another) still had not left the castle, as they hadn't done for ten years; save for Anna, the younger sister, attending their parents' funeral. Elsa didn't even leave the castle for that.

He went to the window where her bedroom had been before; once again Elsa didn't even notice him slipping in. She was too preoccupied with sitting against her door, crying. Jack was surprised for a moment to see how much she'd grown—she was a young woman now, no longer a child.

Someone was trying to get her to leave. Jack stayed for a few more minutes, why he didn't know, but finally sighed and flew out again. What could he do?

He hung around the next few days to see what happened—he found the sister, a red headed girl named Anna. Jack felt sorry for her—she was always wandering the castle alone. It seemed that her attempts to talk to Elsa had failed, and it seemed to him that she had no one else to talk to. When she wandered into the gardens, he would sometimes conjure things up for her. Simple little sculptures of snowmen or animals for her to stumble upon. It was a small gesture on his part, but he did notice to his satisfaction that even when grieving, the young princess would smile for a moment and admire them when she found them.

He came more and more frequently after that.

There was the one time he visited, when he saw Elsa running out of the castle in a blizzard—in the middle of summer, no less—being chased by some very angry looking guards. He couldn't help but yell 'RUN!' when she hesitated before running across the lake she froze underfoot, and gave a sigh in relief when she seemed to have gotten away. He followed her as she went up the mountain, his breath almost taken away when she created her castle made out of ice. He left after that; he always felt a little creepy watching her from afar, but in the intimate space like this castle she had created for herself made him feel even more awkward about being there. Silently wishing her good luck, he had gone

After that her life was rather uneventful, but Jack was invested in seeing what happened. He came, seeing a new scene every time: Elsa making a speech to a crowd of adoring subjects; Elsa wiping tears of happiness from her eyes at what seemed to be a wedding. The red haired girl Jack recognized as her sister was marrying a large blond man. For old times' sake, he left Anna a small surprise in the form of a snowman holding a heart. She assumed Elsa had made it.

When he came back to Arendelle again, and saw Elsa standing at her own wedding, it suddenly occurred to Jack that he was in love with her. Maybe not her exactly; but maybe the idea of her. Watching her from afar for so many years, he felt like he knew her better than anyone else. Jack had imagined many times what he might say to her if she could see him; first he would explain how he was like her. Elsa, being the logical and rational person she was, would demand proof. And once she had it he would imagine that a look of shock would cross her face, and then joy. They would spend the rest of the night talking together, and both of them would never feel alone again…

Remembering how upset and conflicted she had been, compared to the confident ruler she was now, Jack of course was happy for her; but as he watched the ceremony he couldn't help but find it bittersweet.

He watched her navigate trade agreements. Lead her kingdom through wars. Hold her nieces and nephews at their baptisms. Hold her own children in her arms and sing to them softly in the morning. Watch _their_ weddings and hold _their _children. Jack would leave for years, then come back for months and piece together what she had gone through in his absence.

There was one day when Jack went to visit, that he saw that the townspeople all seemed to be talking in subdued murmurs and wearing black. A hot coal of dread seemed to settle in his stomach, burning from the inside out when he heard the scattered murmurs of the people.

A disease…sick for weeks…not likely to last until the morning…

Like he had so many times before, Jack made a visit to the castle, perhaps for the last time.

She laid on the bed, propped up by pillows, her forehead shiny from sweat and her skin slightly yellow. Her beautiful platinum hair now looked thin and brittle; her piercing blue eyes now seemed dull as she stared out at nothing.

"Elsa…" Jack whispered. He took a shaky breath; she was old, he reasoned with himself. Why be upset? It wasn't like this was a tragedy. She had lived a long, happy life and had children that would carry her work on without her.

But once she died, the only thing that made him feel less alone would be gone.

"This is ridiculous," He said, partially to himself and partially to her, "You've never met me. How can I care about someone so much who doesn't even know I exist?"

He slammed his staff on the ground in anger. Elsa's head rolled in the direction of the noise.

"Who are you…?" she rasped.

Jack's eyes widened in shock; he stared at her, not sure of what to do. He looked behind him to make sure someone else wasn't in the room.

"I said who are you?" she rasped again. "I might be about to die, but if I must use my dying breath to call the guards, I will." She coughed.

"Me?"

"Who else?"

Jack turned toward her. "I'm Jack Frost." At the mention of his name, Elsa smiled.

"Oh yes," she said, "I know who you are. Is it true, that you can create ice like me?"

"Yes…how can you see me? I've been coming here for years and you've never noticed me before."

She raised a jaundiced hand and pointed a bony finger toward her dresser. Jack looked in the direction of her pointing; on top of a dresser was a book that looked older than Elsa was. On the front in gold lettering it read, simply, 'Fairytales'.

"When I first got sick, Anna tried to cheer me up by finding books to read," she said, speaking with difficulty. "Mother used to read these to me when I was little. Anna found the book shoved away in an old trunk. I'd completely forgotten about most of them. And well…when on the verge of death, you tend to believe in things more readily. Though I probably would have believed in you anyway if I had picked this book up sooner." She coughed again, violently. "I…wish I had. It would have been nice to know there was another person with my powers."

"I always wanted you to see me too," Jack whispered.

"You seem upset," Elsa said simply. "Don't be. I've lived to almost a hundred years old. My death is not something to be mourned." She sunk lower on the bed, eyes half lidded.

"Besides, I don't think this is the end," she continued. "I don't know what comes next, but I don't think that it is nothing…perhaps I will become a spirit like you. Maybe that happens to all people like us."

"Elsa…" Jack had so much to tell her—how long he had known her, what her life had meant to him, how much she had helped him through his almost completely solitary existence. But he realized that Elsa's eyes were closed; she was still breathing, shallowly, but she was asleep. Jack realized that she wasn't going to wake up.

He'd finally been able to talk to her, and he didn't even get five minutes. Jack looked out the window; the moon was out. He remembered what Elsa had just told him; was she right? Had Jack been a living being with these powers? And if he was…

"Bring her back," Jack whispered. "Please. You've put me through so much…" he rubbed his temples, trying not to cry out in frustration. "You owe me. You created me…give me one person to see me. I don't care how you do it—just _bring her back_." He gripped his staff, knuckles turning white.

Like always, the Man in the Moon was silent.

Centuries passed, and Jack's life had changed very much for the better. Joining the Guardians and stopping Pitch—and in turn causing children to believe in him—made Jack finally feel like he had a purpose.

But, Jack was a loner by nature, and no matter how much like family the Guardians were he would still go off by himself once in awhile. And flying lazily one day, he had come across a sign signaling the entrance to a city:

_WELCOME TO ARENDELLE—A CITY OF ICE AND SNOW_

Jack stared at the sign in shock. It had been so long he'd almost forgotten, but seeing the sign brought those memories back full force. Arendelle was no longer a kingdom; it was a bustling port city, and a popular tourist destination. The spot where the castle used to be was now occupied by an apartment complex.

To his surprise, people still talked about Elsa in Arendelle; traveling through the city, he found a museum. Apparently Elsa was now known as 'one of the most successful rulers of Arendelle, despite her fanatical obsession with ice. In the early 1800s, Queen Elsa of Arendelle ran away from her coronation, for reasons unknown. She returned, leaving behind a castle she had made entirely out of ice. How she created it, and who she had enlisted to help her, is one of the most mysterious events in the history of the city. Whether or not she was a real historical figure or merely a figure of legend is still hotly debated'.

It seemed that Jack was the only one left who knew the real story.

He didn't feel like flying. Grabbing his staff, he walked out of the Arendelle and down a road; there were still some woods around the city, even if they were much smaller than they had been when he knew the place.

He walked with one hand in his pocket, the other clutching his staff. He found a clearing and almost passed out; he saw a girl sitting by the river's edge. A girl with platinum blond hair wearing a blue dress…

"Elsa…?"

The woman looked up. Jack stared at her; she was a young woman again. She wasn't sick. She looked no older than when Jack saw her running away on the frozen lake.

"Who are you…?" Elsa asked. "I tried talking to people, but no one has noticed me…I just woke up, and I was here."

The Man in the Moon had done it…had he done it all those centuries ago when he had begged him to, and he just never knew it? Or had he done it recently somehow, as payment for helping the Guardians? But the reason didn't matter. The important thing was that she was here.

"You don't remember anything?" Jack asked her gently. Elsa shook her head, hugging herself gently.

"No…I know my name is Elsa. They talk about me a lot, in the city. Or someone with powers like mine, and my name. I don't know if I'm actually her, or a descendant of her. And you seem familiar, but I can't figure out why."

Jack took a step toward her. He held out his hand for her to take.

"I'm Jack Frost," he said, grinning. "You don't know me that well, but I know you. And we have a lot to talk about."


End file.
